Rotary machine for compacting loose material to solid prismatic lumps



Oct. 27, 1953 J. L. CHAMBON' ROTARY MACHINE FOR COMPACTING LOOSE MATERIAL TO SOLID PRISMATIC LUMPS Filed Jan. 19, 1950 4 Sheeis-Sheet 1 I)? van Jed/110L115 [fig/n50);

Oct. 27, 1953 J. L. CHAMBON 2,656,797 ROTARY MACHINE FOR COMPACTING LOOSE MATERIAL TO SOLID PRISMATIC LUMPS Filed Jan. 19, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inner; #0) J64) -Lou/5 /zambw;

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ROTARY MACHINE FOR COMPACTING LOOSE MATERIAL TO SOLID PRISMATIC LUMPS Filed Jan. 19, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Inn /77%)" Patented Oct. 27,1953

ROTARY MACHINE FOR COMPACTING LOOSE MATERIAL T SOLID PRIS- MATIC LUMPS Jean Louis Chambon, Paris, France, assignor to Societe dEtudes de Machines Speciales, Paris,

France Application January 19, 1950, Serial No. 139,523 In France January 27, 1949 Claims.

Machines designed to compact loose material to solid prismatic lumps are known which comprise a rotary drum formed with radial cavities into which charges of the loose material are to be introduced successively, compacting pistons which are reciprocated in said cavities by means of central cams and lids to close said cavities once filled with the'loose material during the compacting step.

My invention relates to a machine of the kind just referred to which is designed especially for the mass production of prismatic lumps of comparatively small dimensions and more particularly for the compacting of loose sugar to sugar lumps.

A first feature of my invention resides in the fact that, in a machine of the aforementioned kind, the drum is provided with vertically spaced and aligned loose-material-compa=cting cavities and that the pistons eo-operating with each set of vertically aligned cavities are actuated by a common follower running on the central cam.

A further feature of my invention resides in the fact that the cavities once filled with the loose compactable material are shut off during the compression of the latter by means of one single rigid member to which a pendular motion is imparted so that during part of the revolution of the drum it will partake of the rotary movement of the latter and thereby provide a relatively unmovable rest for the material undergoing aglomeration.

Further advantages of my invention will be set forth in the following specification in which reference is had to the drawing appended hereto in which:

Fig. 1 shows the rotary moulding drum with its members.

Fig. 2 shows a section of this member along II--II of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 shows a section of the drum along III--III of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 shows a perspective view'of the drum provided with its compression platen.

Fig. 5 shows a perspective view of the mounting of the connecting rods and pistons on a. slider of the drum.

Fig. 6 shows a longitudinal section of the wiper of the pistons of the drum.

The rotary drum 5 (Figs. 1 and 2) is arranged below a hopper l inside which rotary stirrers 2 are adapted to rotate. In the body of the drum 5 are provided radial cavities 3, inside which are adapted to move pistons 4 actuated by connecting rods 1 provided with double knuckle-joints 30 and 3| (see Fig. 5), said connecting rods being pivotally connected to a slider 8, the axis of which is parallel to that of the drum. Said slider is adapted to slide inside the drum in a radial slot, and this sliding movement is imparted to it by means of rollers 32 and, 33 (Fig. 5) in contact with stationary cams 24, 25 and 26 secured to the frame.

A platen 6 covers a strip of the drum bounded by the bases and by two generators: said platen is pivotally connected to the rod 9 provided with an eccentric H! (see Fig. 4) or is driven by any other means capable of imparting to it a circular oscillating movement about the shaft 28 of the drum. A mechanism ll comprising an eccentric and an actuating worm or the like controls the orientation of the cam 25 pivoted at 31. The cam 26, which is pivoted at 38, bears against an abutment 21 which in turn bears against a system of levers 35 and calibrated springs 36 (see Fig. 3). A wad l2 of felt or other fibrous material surrounds a sole I3 shown in longitudinal section in Fig. 6; this sole is subjected to the thrust of adjustable screws 14 that bear against a bar I5 which is parallel to the generators of the drum, said bar being pivotally connected at one end to an eccentric rod 39. A cake I! of fatty substance in the solid state is pressed against the drum by an adjustable device provided with a retracting spring IS. A scraper l8 made of plastic material is adapted to rub along a generator of the drum.

Pushers 2| forming part of a comb 20 located below the drum are actuated by a cam 34 or by any other reciprocating mechanism. They are arranged horizontally, just above an endless con veyor belt l9 which is adapted to move below the drum.

Operation The crystallized and moistened sugar fills the hopper l, and by the combined action of its own weight and of the stirrers 2, fills the cavity 3 (in the position A in Fig. 1), while the drum is rotating (in a counter-clockwise direction in Fig. 1) The cavity then moves in front of the platen 6 which at that instant is oscillating in the direction in which it accompanies the movement of the drum; while the piston 4 compresses the sugar contained in the cavity (position 0) against the platen. Owing to this accompanying movement, the platen does not rub against the sugar lump, and the latter is neither glazed nor superficially hardened. The piston 4 is driven by means of the connecting rods 1 by the action of the slider 8, the rollers 33 of which are driven by the compression cam 26. The slider, which is guided in the drum, moves in a. radial halfplane relatively to said drum. A safety device is adapted to prevent a dangerous stress developing on these compression members, which may be caused by the cavity being filled too full of sugar; in this case, the cam 26 overcomes the resistance of the calibrated springs of its abut;- ment 21, retracts by pivoting about its pivot 38 and does not exert a strong "force on "the slider.

Owing to the shape of the ejecting cam 24, which guides the rollers 32 after the compression stroke, the pistons are slightly retracted so as to become detached from the sugar ingot (position D) and then eject the lump (position E) by moving into a position flush with the outer surface of the drum. The luinps fall at 22 Ion to plates 23 carried by the conveyor belt [9, by the combined action of their weight, and i'fdesired of the pusher 2| forming part of the comb 20, said comb being adapted to effect a reciprocating movement by means of the-end'cam 34 (Fig. 2). As the drum continues to rotate, the piston,

which is still flush with themouth of the cavity,

moves successively into contact with the sugar scraper [8, the lubricator I1 and the wiper [2, before it is again retracted soyas to "provide, in the position A, the, requisite filling volume. This volume canbe adjustedby acting on the mechanism l which causesthe admission cam 25 to swing about its pivot 31.

The filling cam 25 and the ejecting cam 24 guide both the sides of therollers 32 located at each end of the slider, whereas the compression cam 26 acts on only one side of one or more ;cated below the feeding hopper, a structure of said molding drum comprising a frame, a rotary drum mounted with its axis horizontal in the frame, said drum being bored, on the one hand in its peripheral portion with radial cavities arranged in rows parallelto the axis of the drum, said rows being arranged in a plurality of series of rows around the drum and, on theother hand,

in its inner portion with radial -slots parallel to the axis of the drum, each of said slots communicating with theradial cavities or o'ne'of the series of the rows of ther'ad ial' cavitiesga piston located in each radialcavity, a slide locatedin each slot, followers carried" by said slide inside of the drum, connecting rods having e'ach'pn'e end linked to'a piston and theother end linked to the slide located in the slot communicating with the radial cavity in which the said piston located, a cam systemon the frame, inside the hollow drum controlling the radial movement of the followers "claim '1 whereinthe cavities are arranged along girdling areas of the peripheral portion of the drum separated'by even girdling areas and comprising a fork having parallel prongs arranged horizontally beneath the drum, rectangular to the axis of the drum along the even girdling areas of the peripheral portion of the drum and means causing 'a recipro'cating movement of said fork in a direction parallel to the axis of the drum.

3. --'A structure of molding drum according to claim 1 wherein the cam system comprises a camwayguidinginwardly the followers of each slide that nearsthe hopper, means to adjust-the position of said camway, a cam resiliently pushing outwardly the followers of the same slide when said slide passes beneath the plate during the part of thereciprocatingmovement of said plate accompanying the'rotation of the drumwith substantially the same'speed, and another camwa-y guiding then the followers of the same'slide first slightly inwardly and, thereafter outwardly to a radial position setting the pistons connected to said slide flush with the peripheral-portion of the drum when saidpistonscome at their lowermost position and lastly maintaining said followers in the same radial position until said followers engage anew the firstmentioned camway.

91. A structure of -molding drum according to claim 3 comprising piston lubricating means mounted on the frame against the peripheral portionof the drum after the lowerpart of said drum.

5. A structure of molding drum according to claim & comprising piston cleaning means mounted on the frame against the peripheral portion of the drum, betweenthe piston lubrieating means and the hopper and means to reciprocate saidpistonpleaning means JEAN UIS CHAMBON.

References Cited inthe file of immanent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

